Nant Cottage

We have stayed at Nant Cottage several times now over the past few years and although we have experience a few minor issues they fade into insignificance compared to those we experienced during our recent stay.

On arrival we walked in to a lovely set table but looking closer, the place mats and table were not clean at all. The sofa looked like a party of three had just got up off it , a bit more than unkempt, unfortunately this theme worked its way into the kitchen as whilst preparing our evening meal we found the oven tray had burnt offerings on it, the dishwasher was full of dirty pots and needed cleaning itself and filling with Dishwasher salt and the tea towels (supposedly clean) smelled awful, to top this off the oven glove was full of old food and hairs (disgusting). The TV remote had no battery cover and didn't work properly, the only TV we could get was Netflix?? The kettle needed to be descaled and there was chipped crockery in the cupboard. We had to wash all the bath and hand towels before we used them as they smelled as if they had only been dried since their last use by others. Every room had cobwebs in the corners in some rooms floor to ceiling, we tried to hoover these but the hoover would not pick up properly. To add to the issues the drawers in the main bedroom in the bay window, had mould all over the back of them. There was no starter pack for the log fire and the place felt dirty which made our stay unpleasant, we actually cut the holiday short and came home a day early. We paid a reasonably large sum for a weeks stay and expected it to be a lot better than it turned out to be, along with a really good clean, some maintenance is well overdue. I'm truly upset that we have no good comments to offer, as touched on earlier, we have stayed several times here and really enjoyed it we love the area and the cottage.

We had a lovely stay.

Had read some previous reviews and have to say I disagree with most. We had an estate and a RAV4 and found parking easy. The house was clean on arrival, lots of hanging space for clothes, cleaning products and all appliances working perfectly. Had to trim some bramble (took literally 2 mins) for the kids and tv had no signal but had apps for us to watch. Location is perfect and the stream at back is so relaxing. We loved it and will look to come back. Thank you

The cottage is beautifully located and we had a lovely stay in Snowdonia, however a number of issues not up to normal Sykes standards of property.

These are all meant as constructive criticism - if no-one says, the owner doesn't necessarily know, and points made didn't necessarily spoil our stay, just less than normal expectations of a Sykes cottage : 1. Parking - there is really only one car parking space at the top of the drive. I consider myself a competent 4x4 driver, but the drive was so steep at the top I was not prepared to continue trying to get into the drive ( I did try ) - especially as I would be coming in and out daily. Suggest amendment of the cottage blurb regards 2 / 3 spaces. 2. When we arrived, and checked round, the dishwasher was wet inside with signs of mould growth on the racks. We purchased a proprietary dishwasher cleaner, which although run through on intensive cycle, did not clear the mould. I'm not sure that it actually heated up the water during the cycle. We did not use the dishwasher further during our stay. I would suggest this needs looking at. 3. No kitchen or bathroom cleaning products provided - there was a hoover ( which was full and needed emptying ), a broom, a Flash quick-mop and a couple of kitchen dishcloths. As the cottage has a £300 cleaning bond, we would have expected to see some basic household cleaners to enable us to clean during and upon our departure. We again purchased washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets ( in hope that the cleaner would clean the dishwasher ), kitchen and bathroom cleaners, and additional cleaning cloths which we used to clean throughout before we left. Just a few basic products are normally provided, and would have been restocked had we used, but as nothing provided we brought everything we had purchased away with us. 4. Whilst the bed linen had clearly been laundered and changed, there were a number of stains on all the bedsheets and on one of the towels ( I have photos ) which hadn't come fully clean in the wash. A little more emphasis required on laundering. 5. The freezer compartment was very iced up and needs defrosting. We did not use. 6. Bathroom bin was not emptied by previous occupants / housekeeper. We emptied it. 7. The bathroom whb tap is very stiff, requiring careful operation with 2 hands to avoid soaking yourself every time. Needs looking at. 8. The toilet cistern water was filling constantly. Again needs looking at. 9. No oven gloves 10. No teapot ( yes - we do still use one ! ) 11. There was a spot of grease on the hob when we arrived - we cleaned it, but next morning had re-appeared. We realised that the extractor grille was rather greased up, and had dripped and therefore needs cleaning. Had the dishwasher worked, we would have put it through, but did not. Filter needs de-greasing. 12.There were only 3 No glass tumblers - assume one or more previously broken ? A few extra drinking glasses needed. 13. Although I appreciate its a dog friendly property ( we have a small black terrier, who fortunately doesn't shed hair ! ), there were white dog hairs on a number of the items of furniture and rugs. The rugs provided are not the best for dog friendly properties as these are shaggy pile, so difficult to clean / hoover, but we did what we could. 14. Coffee table rather precariously wobbly. 15. Some instruction regards waste disposal would be useful - had we not seen a guy who came to cut the grass one morning, we would have put all rubbish loose in the two Holiday-Let wheelie bins, but apparently everything should be sorted and bagged ? There was already loose recycling in the recycling bin when we arrived, but we separated and bagged ours as the guy mentioned - whether we did it right, we don't know, as no other instructions ??!! Whilst above run to 15 notes, these are not intended as being picky or moany, but some small consideration to them could make Nant Cottage really lovely. The only major issue was the parking - really only suitable for 1 vehicle.

We went home the next day due to the parking was awful we had an electric car with no access to charge it .

There were cobb webs everywhere and the patio was a mess . Really disappointed.

We stayed here in October 2023 for 1 week.

In terms of location, the cottage is amazing. But based on my experience I will not stay here again: 1. The big let down was the cleanliness and significant mould, I was cleaning daily and even on arrival had a 4 hour clean to deal with, as well as 3 young children. 2. the dining area roof was leaking- although the owner did attempt to resolve this near the end of our week stay, for us it was a still a problem . 3. I didn’t like that when I first contacted the owner about the cleanliness/mould issue, they pretended i had the wrong number and the issue was never resolved. 4. there was a lot of algae growth on the drive and path leading to the house, as well as back area, so it was very dangerous for us. This could be cleaned with appropriate paving cleaner to avoid risks to guests. Finally, I note others have commented but I can confirm there is no way a car is getting off the drive due to incline and width- the website should make it clear as it’s very misleading. I particularly wanted a cottage with private enclosed parking. Having said this there are 2 parking spaces at the top of the garden, which are not enclosed but only one would be useable given the incline of the second (we have a 4x4, and wouldn’t have risked it).

We stayed over the New Year break and had a great time.

Lovely Location in Rowen and perfect for visits to the coast and into the National park. The pub was great. We all really enjoyed our time at Nant Cottage and would go again.

Nant cottage is the perfect place to relax unwind and take in all the beautiful scenery.

We have stayed here about 5 times now and it always feels like there is something new to do or see. I love the river and the view is amazing. The village is beautiful and we have met some really lovely people. It is a fantastic place to stay.

We stayed at Nant cottage for 1 week, it was such a relaxing place, the river at the rear side of the cottage was such a soothing sound for the ears and mind.

Best place for nature lovers..... Nothing I can complaint of, a perfect home from home. Just a suggestion , need to upgrade the freezer size. We would love to visit again very soon...:) S Rizvi

Lovely cottage in a lovely village location.

Nicely decorated. I did take my own mirror as in reviews was stated that they did not have any. They have put hanging space and mirrors in the cottage now, so that was great. We chose to stay in the middle size bedroom facing the river which was nice. The next night we thought we would stay in the bigger bedroom as the bed is bigger. But found it dirty, there was bits of dirt and hair on the fitted sheets which made me feel ill. The bed sheets in both rooms did not really have a fresh smell to them. I actually could not wait to get back to my own bed. And as said in a previous review the roofing on top of the dining area is plastic and is very noisy when it rains and does keep you awake at night. Other than these 2 things I would say its a lovely cottage.

After reading the recent reviews a few weeks before our holiday, we were concerned.

It was too late to cancel so we contacted Sykes expressing our concerns especially about the cleanliness of the property. One of our family members has an underlying health condition and a couple of reviews had mentioned dirty environment including damp and mould. Sykes replied promptly and reassured us that ‘all cleanliness issues had been addressed.’ Bearing in mind previous reviews had also stated that the owner and Sykes had been notified and upon arrival these issues were still unresolved, we decided to do an online delivery shop and ordered lots of cleaning products. This was a back up just in case. Well when we arrived at the property it was clear to see that the cleanliness issues had clearly not been resolved. There were lots of issues which I will try and inform you of but firstly we spent 2 hours of our holiday cleaning the inside of the property to make it habitable. A lot of the issues that had been reported previously had in fact been rectified. There were now hanging racks for clothes including hangers, plenty of mirrors, blinds on the windows (not the door in bedroom), the washing had been repaired and they had provided a new microwave. The bin was bigger and substantial and the lights had shades. However, the only TV did not work all week, the door in the main bedroom had no blind and let lots of light in, the toilet constantly flushes and fills up making a gurgling/snoring noise in the single bedroom. There is a 2 way cat flap that is not lockable and so if you have a small dog like we did, they could get out onto the road. The dining room where the table is has a Perspex corrugated plastic roof which is under trees. It rained heavily most nights and this kept us awake as was very noisy and was could be heard in all 3 bedrooms. The outside of the property could be an absolute delight but it’s just not maintained. Shame because the stream is beautiful. Finally, the drive… there is no way you can drive down the drive. So if you have more than 1 car (there’s a great space for 1 car at the top of the drive) there is nowhere to park unless you want to get stuck! Our friends who visited us from Conwy had a transit van and parked at the bottom of the drive for a few hours. They could not get off the drive due to the steepness and had to be towed off the drive. The cleanliness was the main thing for our family and it’s a shame I cannot add the pictures. The property was covered in dust. There were cobwebs everywhere and the beds and settees must never get pulled out because these were filthy. The shower was full of mould and mildew but a little bleach removed it easily. The bedding was actually clean and the beds were very comfy just surrounded by filth. We rang the owner upon arrival and he never returned our call and still hasn’t. Sykes did say that they would send someone to clean the property but this was on day 5 of a 7 day holiday and we had already had to clean the property upon arrival.

Had the perfect stay.

North Wales is beautiful

The property itself was stunning, a well designed cottage and with an excellent kitchen which had all the tools needed to rustle up fabulous dinners.

However although our stay was comfortable I would just like to mention a few things bearing in mind we paid nearly £1900 for 4 nights to stay in this location. 1. Main issue - On the 16th Aug the cottage had no power due to a planned power outage, this lasted from 0900 - 1600, I would have expected at least a little warning that this was going to happen and we should be compensated for the loss of facilities on that day. 2. Although stated in the listing that the drive way is steep the picture featured was misleading to say the least as it misses the very steep entrance to the driveway and should be changed. 3. The kitchen was well presented with everything you need, but for the price paid I would have at least expected maybe some coffee and tea and a dish cloth or sponge to clean kitchen sides etc. 4. The sofa in the lounge could do with being upgraded, not that comfortable for 4 people, might be a bit snobby of me but I would suggest a couple of big comfy 2 seater and single seater with foot stools as there is more than enough space to accommodate this. 5. Although overall the place was tidy a few improvements could be made to the presentation such as the garden which was poorly maintained, grass not cut, weeds everywhere and general dereliction of items in the garden. There was no handwash in the bathroom or kitchen, no spare toilet rolls or hair and body wash in the shower - Oh - and as mentioned in previous review, cobwebs on light fittings and in windows. For the price paid, I would have expected attention to detail (£1900 for 4 nights) Overall our holiday was amazing, such a beautiful part of the country and cottage location was fabulous. Just a shame that the few items above let it down.

It was good to see all the previous issues had been addressed.

There is now a full size kitchen bin, rails and coat hangers, chest of drawers in bedrooms, full length mirror and large mirror in the bathroom. The cottage is in a beautiful setting with the river at the bottom of the garden. The major issue that let's this cottage down is the poor cleaning standards, there's no attention to detail at all , there are cobwebs everywhere, dirty cooker hood, skirting boards, too much to list here. Just an overall feeling of neglect. Mattresses too soft for us but that's personal preference. There's no welcome pack so no numbers to call if an emergency ect, no instructions for cooker , the tv has only apps on it with a message on screen saying no signal. Towels and bedding no fresh laundry smell. It needs redecorating and some of the windows looking at as there are damp patches clearly visible. It has the potential to be a five star property if the cleaners are replaced and a gardener employed to maintain outside which is also neglected. The corrugated roof over the dining area needs replacing, the noise of heavy rain from the trees over it was horrendous, it also has damp issues with visible mould.We parked at the top of the property as the driveway is too steep to be usable in our opinion. Gravel steps leading down with the handrail ending half way down, not ideal if you have mobility issues. The garden wraps around the property and was clearly loved at some point but not safe for young children, you would have to watch them all the time. The setting is what makes this cottage attractive but that's it in it's current state.

The cottage is a lovely little place in a great location.

It's a very quiet area and is very peaceful, it's a great hub for hiking or cycling etc. The down parts are that it's not quite catered for people that stay for more than 2 nights. The washing machine is still broken. There was no cloth to wash up with or washing up liquid. There are no wardrobes. There's no welcome pack to tell you where things are. There's no shower gel or shampoo. And the owner didn't answer on 2 separate occasions when we needed to speak to them. Apart from these inconveniences it is a nice place but all the negatives are likely to not be an issue with other properties.

Lovely cottage in a nice location, however, let down by finishing touches ie cobwebs and unclean shower tray in the bathroom.

Broken kettle, which in fairness was replaced the next day after reporting it and the lady did feed this back to the owner. Outside maintenance was poor, no cleaning of the patio area and dirty glass barrier next to the stream which hadn’t been cleaned .Plus points inside the cottage nicely presentable, sofa comfy, beds comfortable and nice bedding. No mirrors apart from a small mirror in the bathroom not suitable. Lack of hanging space , suggest a couple of rails would sort this. Also pedal bin in kitchen not suitable and washing machine in op with a notice not working, it was full tea towels.

Where to start the conservatory doors wouldn’t lock so we were unable to leave property for nearly three days.

Washing machine not working as was tv for 50 per cent of every day. Not enough loo roll left for us on arrival had to wash outdoor furniture and brush deck before use. Cobwebs everywhere plus god knows what under settee.no welcome pack or instructions left for us. Stop tap under sink broken couldn’t fix washer . Little or no communication with owner re compensation which we really think is only fair.

Kitchen: Washing machine not usable as defective and there were still used towels in the machine.

Microwave partially unusable as the right row of buttons did not work. The water tap was loose and leaking. Coffee maker and teapot were missing, bin liners were missing. Oven, microwave, fridge, pot holders were not clean. No fully equipped kitchen e.g. champagne or whisky glasses, egg cups, garlic press, blender, butter churn. Dining area: all chair legs were loose and needed tightening. Lack of lighting at the dining area. Bedroom: lack of storage for clothes, no wardrobe, no hook, no chest of drawers only 1 chair available. Missing lampshade on the ceiling. No mirror. Bathroom: no mirror, no hooks for towels or bathrobes, mouldy shower, no shelf in shower for shampoo etc, stained towels. General: dust threads hanging from the ceilings, windows not cleaned, fireplace tools missing, no matches for fireplace, the lock on the front door of the conservatory was very stiff. The location of the house is quiet and beautifully situated by the river, spacious terrace, many seating options available.

This is a lovely cottage in a beautiful location, but the customer rating is not going to improve until the owner rectifies the issues raised in all the reviews.

I think we stayed the week before the last review as the washing machine was leaking and we used the towels to clear up the water. I spoke to the owner’s agent (not Sykes) to arrange for it to be fixed and took the opportunity to suggest logs (the listing says you get a starter pack) equipment for the log burner, a mirror, lamp shade, somewhere to hang clothes, something to wash dishes with, kitchen bin and an information folder. Not having these things is inconvenient and you don't want that when you are on holiday. Before booking, because of the previous reviews, Sykes contacted the owner on my behalf and was told there were now blinds on all the bedroom windows, and although there are no wardrobes there was somewhere to hang clothes, but this is not the case. It’s a real shame because as I said it's a lovely cottage and could easily achieve the highest ratings with some attention to detail, but I personally don’t think it deserves Sykes 4 tick rating as it stands.

We enjoyed our stay at Nant Cottage as it is a lovely location situated next to the river in a quiet spot that isn't overlooked.

There are plenty of nice walks to do from the cottage also. There were a few things that could be changed to ensure the cottage is a lot more comfortable which don't seem to have been rectified since other reviewers have said similar things previously. Suggestions include: a mirror in the bathroom and bedroom as there are currently none. A larger bin for the kitchen as a small pedal bin isn't enough. The wheelie bin collection is only every 4 weeks and we were close to the end of that time during our stay so the bin was full. Providing food recycling might help alleviate this. There is nowhere to hang or store clothes anywhere so we had to live out of suitcases for the week which wasn't great. A lampshade in the main bedroom would be nicer than just a bulb plus a blind on the outside door in there too as it gets light early! Tools for the BBQ and log burner would be good, as none. Also logs or instructions where to buy them. A general instructions folder was missing too, which is usual for a property. The washing machine was also broken and full of damp towels that smelled. It couldn't be fixed and had to be replaced, which I accept isn't the owner's fault, but it would have been good to be informed of this before we arrived with not enough clothes for the week! These are all relatively small things that can be rectified to make the cottage a lot more comfortable to stay in.

Lovely quaint cottage by the stream with lots of walks on the door step.

The driveway was quite steep but luckily there was parking at the top. Not an enclosed garden as described so had to keep our dog on the lead the entire time. Lovely large patio with seating, but very slippery when we got there with mud/ sludge in places. My son fell over several times the first day we arrived one of which lead to a trip the local hospital as he split open his chin and ended up getting stitches! The gardener arrived the last day we were there and blew all the leaves, ferncones and rubbish into the stream! There wasn't any terrestrial tv channels on the TV(freeview) was all Internet based catch up TV but luckily we had Netflix to watch movies. No wardrobes or chest of draws in the bedrooms to store away clothes so lived out of our suitcases. No mirror in the cottage, had to purchase one while there. The bin in the kitchen was a cosmetic bin you'd have in the bathroom, no where near big enough for a kitchen. Towels had yellow/orange stains, but we had Our own anyway. The washing machine wasn't working while we were there. Would have been useful with 2 childrens mucky adventures. Besides the negative points we had a lovely stay, lots of places to visit and things to do nearby.

The kitchen needs more storage space.

If you are elderly and have a little trouble walking, getting down to the cottage will be a problem for you. The drive is very steep and the steps down to the cottage are quite high. The cottage other than storage space is quite beautiful.

What a lovely property.

Enjoyed our stay. Everything we needed was there, including milk and even cakes! The only niggle was that there was a gap by the gates at the top of the garden so l had to keep dog on lead. Used to doing this but feel a little gate would be quite easy to do and make a world of difference.we will book again as such a lovely place to stay and even better than the photos.

We have just spent 5 nights in Nant Cottage and absolutely loved it.

The cottage was beautifully presented and clean on arrival. We all enjoyed our stay there - myself, partner, and our 15, 6 and 3 year old children. The comfy sofa and wi-fi kept the kids happy watching Netflix etc whilst we cooked :) the kids also loved playing outside. Beds were lovely and comfortable, bathroom and shower were great. Facilities were brilliant, dishwasher and washing machine were easy to use. The only thing we did struggle with was the size of the kitchen bin, it is much too small. We were lucky to have some beautiful sunny weather to enjoy the garden. We would stay again!

Not disability friendly.

I booked Nant Cottage for a week in June but have held back from submitting a review. The owner had phoned us beforehand to say that we were going to be the very first people to stay and, on arrival at the cottage, it became clear that they were not completely ready for us. I didn't think it was fair to leave a review that would be mentioning missing items in the circumstances and in any case the owner asked that if there were any 'snagging issues' (as he put it) that they should be raised with him. I provided feedback to him when we returned home and received a very nice reply stating that he would look to address the issues raised where possible. So it's a great shame to read that all of the things that we found wanting (nowhere to hang clothes, no mirrors, no curtains or blinds, no towels provided, no instructions on how to operate anything, or what the recycling arrangements were, no dustpan and brush etc), have not been addressed for the subsequent holidaymakers. The previous reviewer mentioned the lack of a gate at the top of the driveway steps. Again, this was brought to the owners attention because our dog escaped and was in the road by the time I caught up with him. Finding nothing to bridge the gap, our dog had to be kept on the lead at all times. Very disappointing to see that this hasn't been sorted. So here are just a couple of other things that any potential holidaymaker ought to know ... this place is not currently child safe or dog friendly and, despite the listing making a special mention that all the facilities are on one floor, the location is difficult for for anyone with mobility issues and is absolutely unsuitable for wheelchair users. There are gaps on either side of the riverside balustrade through which a child (or small dog) could easily slip. The garden is not enclosed and should not be described as such on the listing until a gate is installed at the top of the steps. The drive is ridiculously steep and although there are steps at the side, it felt we were climbing Ben Nevis everytime we wanted to go out. We still managed to have a nice week in spite of the missing facilities and the accessibility issues but if the listing had had an accessibility statement, and had shown exactly where the parking was, I would have been aware that this was not totally suitable for us and I wouldn't have booked the property. If you are fit and healthy and have no mobility problems, and don't plan on bringing a dog or a child with you, then you'll be OK.

Beautiful property - with lovely gardens( especially loved the river) in a lovely location.

Very much liked the decor - everything seemed to be of a high quality and very newly done. A few points… Really needed Wardrobes or chest of drawers. Mirrors needed in the bathroom at least. Kitchen bin too small. A few minor things still needed finishing off ,such as pictures on the wall , lampshade in one of the bedrooms. The conservatory door - could sometimes be a bit temperamental. The garden wasn’t fully enclosed - so might be good to have a small gate at the top, just to be safer for dogs/younger children. Had a really nice week and if we were to go back to the Rowen area, would stay again.

Lovely cottage and in beautiful setting.

We felt the accommodation was not ready for letting. Definitely not £200 per night luxury. Blind missing off bedroom window, ( had to use pictures that were lying around for privacy). No wardrobes or dressing tables, no mirrors at all, not even in the bathroom! No hooks for coats or anything else. Towels had to be draped over radiators which were full of cobwebs and decorating dust! Also dirt in corners and under sofa, and in bedside draw, ( 3x empty crisp packets). Kitchen bin too small, no dust pan and brush or mop, hoover provide was highly inadequate! There is mould growing on a beam, looks like it’s been painted over! Had to buy bath towels for all 6 guests as only small hand towels provided and not enough, even though details of letting say “ Bed linen and towels inc. in rent”. We arrived late evening and had to set up cot (baby already asleep) and highchair, (both brand new and still boxed). Kitchen and bathroom well finished and bedding of high quality. Info pack re heating controls and rubbish bins, recycling etc would have been useful. This booking cost a lot and will be the only family holiday this summer so very disappointed. Hopefully these things will be rectified so the next holidaymakers enjoy this cottage as it should be and better than we did.